Five Ways To Get Out Of A Life Rut (Part I)

Are you in the fast lane to where you want to be in life or are you off the road completely, stuck in a life rut and spinning your wheels in the mud trying to get traction? You might be happy with your life but, it has become a little boring & stagnate and you might need a little challenge in your life. Learning some new skills or shaking up your routine a bit may be what you need get you back on the path of being sharp and focused. But, if you have the pedal to the floor and your life feels like you are getting nowhere fast, you might stuck in a rut. You will need something to help pull you out of it. Here are five ways to get your vehicle (your life) back in the race. You didn’t start out on your journey with the intention of not getting where you wanted to go. Take the opportunity that is being offered right now. Go back to where you lost control and correct your course.

Did you get off track with your finances? Then it is time to get that car back on the track if you want to win the financial race. How is the best way to do it?

Pay Yourself First – Start by creating a savings plan that you contribute to on a consistent basis. Start with at least $20.00 per week (but more if you can afford it). If you don’t have money to do this then eat a bowl of cereal before leaving the house instead of stopping by the local burger house for breakfast. Consider brown bagging your lunch a couple of days per week and put that money into your savings. Any money you can save by shopping smart deposit into your savings…(you know you were going to spend the money anyway). Think outside the box for other ways to save to grow that little piggy bank into a blue ribbon hog!Evaluate what you can put in place within 30 days to increase your income level!

Turn That Trash Into Treasure – Sell that stuff you’ve been storing in the spare bedroom, garage, or in those boxes in your closet on eBay or LetGo. It will surprise you how fast that “stuff” you’ve been hanging on to will sell and how much “lighter” you feel once it’s gone. Money take less room to store than junk.

Are you a true computer geek? – Take in a few computers here and there to fix. Viruses, malware, operating system problems, and cleaning up older computers means: complicated for others = cash for you. If you are fixing your own computer problems, you can save others money by helping them get more mileage out of their ‘slightly less than new” computers by offering your services to them. For less than the cost of a professional geek you can do minor repairs and maintenance to make them lean and mean…and make you a little green in the process!

Got more time than money? – Start a small online business or get a part time job. These days you can start a small business for almost no investment. Selling crafts, accessories, and clothing you make on Etsy and selling yesterday’s treasures on eBay, you can make extra income online. Grass cutting, pressure washing, and general handyman work can also make you a tidy sum of money on evenings and weekends. That is if you are good with your hands, have a bit of experience, and market your services right. Be sure to have reliable tools, equipment, a license (if necessary) and a reasonable liability policy to protect you and your customers in the event that the unforeseen happens. Also don’t forget to put away the appropriate money pay your taxes. Even after paying the associated expenses, if you keep a close eye on your expenses you will be surprise how much you can make in your spare time.

Create a plan to pay yourself out of debt and implement it immediately! – Analyze your debt with the highest interest and work your way down from there. Make minimum payments on the lowest interest debts and concentrate the greatest part of your available funds to paying off the highest interest and smallest debts as fast as possible. As your higher interest debts pay off, take the money that was allocated to those debts and apply them to the next highest interest debts in line. Never allow money that is allocated for debt payment to roll into your everyday funds until ALL your debt is paid in full! It’s called the Debt Snowball method, and it works as long as you stay committed and consistent with your money and efforts.

Here’s A Tip! – Want to get access to a great, free resource to get the ball rolling? Check out Dave Ramsey’s daily radio show on your local radio station. If that is not available in your area or if you have a smartphone, download a podcast app and subscribe to “The Dave Ramsey Show”. Also check out all the great resources at DaveRamsey.com. My wife, Ana, and I used Dave Ramsey’s rock-solid plan for getting out of debt in our lives. With determination and commitment it can work for you too!

Thank you for for reading the first part of this five part series of articles on “How To Get Out Of A Life Rut”. Please join me again next week for part two in this series of articles when I will be talking about finding and doing the work that you were born to do and love it!